Palletized package of stacked articles



H R. CHARMAN PALLETIZED PACKAGE OF STACKED ARTICLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed llay 21, 1952 ill-5: w

iiiiummfl INVENTOR. HOW/7E0 3 Cl/HEMHN E6. 7 I ATTORZNEYLS I April 27, 1954 (:HARMAN 2,676,703

PALLETIZED PACKAGE OF STACKED ARTICLES Filed May 21. 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 6

v @597 20 41/7 242 5 4 g F7610 v 3? INVENTOR.

Patented Apr. 27,1954

PALLETIZED PACKAGE OF STACKED ARTICLES 'Howard E. Charman, Lemon Grove, Calif., as-

.signor to The Ferro Engineering Company,

Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application May 21, 1952, Serial No. 289,083

3 Claims. (01. 206-65) This invention relates to improvements in pallets and palletizing methods. The present application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Serial No. 714,874, filed December '7, 1946, now abandoned. It has to do with palletizing articles'of complete or partial ring shape, more particularly when such articles are made of material that is breakable, for examplerefractory bottom rings for composite hot tops.

Incarrying out the method I form'a stack of such ring-like articles with the lower end of the stack resting upon-a bottom pallet of flexible materiaL-such as sheet metal or flexible boards, and with the spaces surrounded by the ring- ].ike articles forming an interior space extending the full length-of the stack. Over the top ofthe stack I place an upper'resilient cover similar in form to the bottom pallet, and then tie the pallet-and cover members together by a strongly tensioned tie member'extending through the interior space. When the package is assembled the pull on the tie member is caused to be suliiciently strong to flex the pallet and cover, or one of them, so that the articles in the stack are held firmly, while any tendency to loosen the palletized unit is taken up by a flexed member. In accordance with the invention furthermore, the pallet and cover may be provided with fenders along their edges-so that when a series of pallet- I ized units of substantially the same height are carried in a freight car or truck the top cover and bottom pallet of each unit engagingthose of adjacent units prevent the stacked articles of one unitfrom striking against those of another unit.

One of the objects of the invention therefore is the provisionof an improved method and means for packaging ring-like breakable articles economically and efiiciently for transportation or storage.

Another object is the provision of a method of palletizing hard refractory frangible rings by disposing them in a stack betweena' flexible pallet member anda flexible cover member and flexing the said members by; means, of astrongly tensioned tie applied to the center points. of the two said members, so as not. only to bind the rings together ma tight firm package but also to store energy in the said flexible members which will be available to maintain the package. firm and tight by taking. upszor absorbing any looseness' which may tend to develop during the handling or shipping of the unit. I

Another object is .theprovision of a palletized unit resulting from thesaid. method.

v under compression.

to form a solid load without'any of the Wedging pressure being transmitted to the palletized articles.

Other objects and features of novelty will appear as I proceed with the descriptionof those embodiments of the invention which, for the purposes of the present application, I have illustrated in the accompanying drawing,in which 'Fig. l is a perspective view of a palletized unit embodying the invention, comprisinga stack of refractory bottom rings for hot tops, a'portion of such rings being broken away to more-clearly illustrate the invention.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of two similar-units illustrating how the fender flanges on the top and bottom pallets of adjacent units prevent the carried articles in one unit from striking-and damaging those in another unit.

Fig. 3 is a top plan View of the unit.

"Fig. i is abottom plan view of the same.

.Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view-on a-larger scale taken'substantially on'the line 55 of- Fig. 4.

Fig. dis a cross-sectional view also on a larger scale and taken substantially on the line 5-45 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is a fragmental View showing means-different from that of -Figs. 5 and 6, for a similar purpose.

.Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a second form of palletized unit constructed in accordance with the method of the invention, in which two stacks of rings are palletizedinto a'singlev unit.

. Fig. 9:is. a plan view of the upper double cover member of the Fig. 8 unit.

Fig. 10 is an edge view of the same.

Fig. 11 is a plan view of the double pallet, and

Fig. 12. is an edge view of the same.

In the drawing the hollow articles illustrated are a series of refractory rings It! that are employed asbottom rings for hot tops. These rings are intended for use in a certain type of hot top and their function is such that theycan be used once only, in other words a ring must be supplied ior each ingot cast. Accordingly large numbers :of the ringsare used in steelplants. They are hard and will withstand-a-heavy load They are frangible 'however and therefore must be handled with care. They differ more or less in forth. of the continuous rings, some are circular and some rectangular in shape. Of the discontinuous forms some are L-shaped, some are arcuate and some are (J-shaped. The discontinuous forms may be palletized in the same manner as continuous or complete rings, a plurality of pieces making up each ring-like layer of the unit and surrounding a central space.

Each ring is angle shaped in cross-section, and the vertical legs of the angles are disposed one upon another so that the inner wall of the stack will be solid, as clearly appears from Fig. 1 of th drawing. The number of rings or other hollow articles constituting a stack may vary considerably, but a stack of the order of thirty rings ispreferred.

A resilient lower pallet havin a. body member l l is placed upon a floor or other supporting surface, being elevated somewhat above the floor by corner feet l2 which may be cup-shaped as shown and welded to the underside of body member ll. Feet of different form may be used, but they should be placed at the corners in order that a liftin truck may be inserted beneath the body member from any one of four diiferent directions. The body member of the pallet is preferably rectangular and is of appreciably greater horizontal dimensions than the articles to be carried. The corners are removed to provide diagonal edges l3, and the sides between thes diagonal edges are bent upward to provide flanges Hi. Owing to the fact that there is thus no continuous flange throughout the perimeter of the pallet, the flanges do not have the same stiffening effect as they would have were they continued to the corners and welded or otherwise fastened together. As a matter of fact the body member H is quite flexible, that is its central portion may be deflected considerably away from its normal plane when sufficient pull is exerted. It must be constructed of appropriate gauge sheet metal however as the pull exerted upon it in practice may be 1000 lbs. or more.

In the body member ii there are two slots I5 spaced apart a few inches and disposed equal distances from the center point of the pallet. A cleat lb of strap metal covers the upper surface of member H between the slots 15, its ends being projected through the slots and bent back against the bottom surface of the member, the bends ll being formed with a radius of appreciable length so as to present rounded outer surfaces. A steel band or tape i8 may be inserted from above through one of the slots [5 outwardly of the bent end of cleat It, directed around the curved surface presented by that bent end along the underside of the body member beneath the cleat l5 and up through th other slot l5 over the adjacent rounded surface of the cleat. These curved ends of the cleat therefore function somewhat as the rounded surfaces of rollers would function for eliminating short bends in the band l8. Other means for accomplishing the same result may be substituted. For example when the slots it are formed, the metal may be out along three sides and the resulting tab 25 rolled back to provide the desired rounded bearin for the band, as shown in Fig. 7.

The upper pallet has a body member 20 that may be identical with body member I I except for the omission of the corner feet. It has spaced slots :5 which may be of the same size and the same spacing as slots l5. Cleat I6 is preferably inverted with respect to cleat I6, that is its rebent ends are above the body member 2!) instead of beneath it.

In assembling the unit the band It is first put through the slots 15 of the lower pallet and its ends made approximately even. Then the rings H3 are stacked upon the bottom pallet in the manner shown, the lowermost ring being preferably inverted as illustrated in order that its horizontal flange may not be subjected to shearing strains by the bending of the bottom pallet. When the desired number of rings have been thus mounted the ends of the band It are caused to project through the slots i5 of an upper cover, and the latter is rested upon the top of the stack in a properly centered position. The operator now exerts a heavy pull upon the ends of the band [8, tensioning the latter and bending the central portions of the two body members ii and 26 toward each other. This is effected by means of commercially available machines which also serve to secure the ends of the band together by a clip 2i or other equivalent means. This flexing of the pallet and cover and tensioning of the band cause these parts to exert a heavy compressive force upon the vertical arms of the angle shaped rings and thereby to bind them together into a rigid wall. The force exerted at the center of the unit by the band 58 is multiplied by the leverage due to the engagement of the lowermost ring with the bottom pallet at points nearer the feet of the pallet than the center thereof where the force is applied, the minimum dimension of the space enclosed by a ring being at least half the corresponding dimension of the complete ring. If during shipment the constant weaving and warping of a supporting surface should tend to develop looseness in the unit, any such tendency will be combated successfully by takeup resulting from the reserve power in the flexed pallet or cover.

When a freight car for example is loaded with units of the kind described, the units are put into the car in rows, the fender flanges is and ill engaging each other, preventing tipping of the units and maintaining a space between the stacks of rings carried in the units, thereby eliminating all danger of one ring striking against another. In some cases the stacks are made of such height that two tiers of units may be loaded in a freight car, the feet i2 of the second tier resting upon the top covers of the first tier. The diagonal edges 13 are shorter than the diameter of the feet l2, and the second tier unit is thereby prevented from silding off the lower tier unit. In loading a freight car with palletized units suitable means is employed for preventing the units from moving in the car, that is framing or wedging is built into the car to hold the load in engagement with the side and end Walls of the car.

Referring now to Figs. 8 to 12 inclusive of the drawings, there are shown two side by side stacks of rings Ii! disposed between a double pallet and a double cover made of lumber. The pallet comprises two end two-by-fours 3.0 and a middle twoby-four 3!, these two-by-fours constituting legs which raise the major portions of the pallet above the ground or floor for convenienc in enabling the double unit to be taken by the projecting horns of a lift truck. The legs 3t, 3! are somewhat longer than the front to rear dimension of rings 10.

Three long boards 32, 33 and 34, with crosssectional dimensions preferably about on inch by four inches, of good grade Well seasoned resilient lumber are nailed to the two-by-fours 30 and 31, their ends projectin beyond the two-byfours 38 uniformly a short distance, preferably of the order of two inches.

The projecting ends of the pallet members 39, 3|, 32, 33 and 34 serve as buffers to contact like members of other pallets in any assemblage of units to space the stacks of rings away from each other and to protect the rings against damage when the units are loaded into a freight car for example.

Each pallet also comprises two pairs of short boards 35 which are nailed to the underside of long boards 32 and 34, it being noted that these short boards are not fastened to the intermediate long boards 33. Consequently as the boards 33 and 35 are flexed by the means presently to be described, they are free to move relatively to each other to a limited extent.

The cover for the unit is shown in detail in Figs. 9 and 0. It comprises two long boards 3'! and 38 to the undersides of which are nailed short boards 39, dd, 4!, 42, 43 and 4 3. The boards 3'! and 38 project slightly in all directions beyond the outer surfaces of the stacked rings in order that the rings may be protected by this cover as well as by the pallet as previously described,

A board 45 is disposed midway between boards 3'! and 3S and is nailed at its ends to the upper surfaces of short boards 39 and 4|. A board 41 in alignment with board 46 is similarly nailed to short boards 42 and 44. In order to reinforce boards 58 and 41, shorter boards 48 and 49 are nailed near their ends to the upper surfaces of boards 46 and 4-1. There are no fastenings between short boards Ml and 43 on the one hand and boards 46- and 41 on the other hand. Hence where these boards cross they are free to slide upon each other to a limited extent, as is the case between the short boards 35 and the long board 33 of the pallet. The composite boards it, 48 and 41, 49 respectively are more resilient than would have been the case had the boards i8, 49 been of the same length as boards 56 and 4?. All of the boards of the cover member are of the same cross-sectional dimensions and of the same high grade resilient material as the boards of the pallet.

When the rings ii! have been carefully stacked in precise vertical alignment upon the pallet, a sheet steel band or ribbon 55 is threaded downwardly and diagonally beneath the crossed boards 35 and 3.3 at the axial point of each. stack in the manner illustrated in the cut-away portion of Fig. 8. The ends of each steel band are then carried upwardly and diagonally over the crossed boards 49 and d5, 48 on the one side and 43 and d7, :39 on the other side, after which the bands are strongly tensioned and the ends are clamped together by means of clips similar to the clips 5%! of the first described form of the invention. As in the first described form, where sheet metal pallet and cover members are employed, the

crossed boards of each side'of the double pallet V and double cover member when subjected to the heavy tension exerted by the steel bands 50 are flexed toward each other. The lowermost rings of the two stacks are contacted by the long boards 33 and 34 and the top rings of the two stacks are contacted by the short boards 39, 40, 4|, 42, 33 and 44. The force exerted by the steel bands binds th rings of both stacks together firmly, making a tight package which remains tight even though it be moved to an inclined or horizontal position. The tension exerted by the steel bands is great enough not only to thus bind the stacks into a tight package, but also to flex the crossed boards of the double pallet and cover members and thereby store up energy which may be drawn upon later if necessary to maintain the package tight even though a portion of the flexing is absorbed in order to compensate for whatever tendency toward looseness may have developed during the storing or shipment of the unit.

While the palletiaed double stack construction of Figs. 8 to 12 inclusive is advantageous because it enables a large number of rings to be bound together into one package that is adapted to be conveniently handled by a lift truck, thereby enabling a single operator to handle and move many rings at once, it should be understood that a similar construction employing wooden pallet and cover members adapted to package a single stack is within the purview of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A shipping unit of the character described, comprising a pallet member, a series of incompressible, frangible, refractory bottom rings for hot tops stacked upon said pallet member, a cover member upon the top of the stack, at least one of said members being resilient, and means secured to the central portions of both of said members exerting strong tension to impart a pull on each member toward the other, whereby the said members and rings are bound together in a secure and rigid unit and whereby at least one of said members is flexed and is adapted to absorb any looseness which may develop in the palletized unit.

2. A shipping unit as defined in claim 1, wherein said means for exerting strong tension comprises a steel band joining said pallet and cover members together axially of the unit.

3. A shipping unit of the character described, comprising a pallet with corner feet, a series of flat articles stacked on said pallet, an upper resilient sheet metal cover having its corners cut away to provide diagonal edges, the perimeter of said cover between said diagonal edges being flanged upwardly, and means tying said pallet and cover together, said diagonal edges being of less length than the cross-sectional dimensions of said feet whereby a second unit may be supported upon said cover and held against dislodg- Inent.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 603,455 Pinney May 3, 1898 715,802 Holmes Dec. 16, 1902 734,794 Kimball Mar. 14, 1905 1,912,388 Slovin Jun 6, 1933 2,258,285 Fish Oct, 7, 1941 2,448,447 Lau Aug. 31, 1948 2,487,687 Arthur et al Nov. 8, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 178,268 Great Britain Apr. 20, 19 2 

